GOOD NEWS AND BAD IN FIRE’S WAKE

Owners of cabins at charred Shrine camp gather at roadblock

The gray, drizzly skies in the Mount Laguna fire area Thursday reflected the mood of property owners learning good news or bad news about their homes and cabins.

“The devastation of our friends losing their places overshadows the joy of still having ours,” said Kirby Teague. “It’s so sad.”

Teague and his wife, who live near El Centro, were among the many Al Bahr Shrine members who gathered near a roadblock on Sunrise Highway, hoping to get into the Shrine camp and view the extent of fire damage there.

The road remained closed between Los Huecos Road and Kwaaymii Point all day, with no official word on when the entire length of the highway would reopen.

The 7,055-acre Chariot fire, which started Saturday in the Anza-Borrego Desert, scorched most of the Shrine campground, its 87-year-old lodge and more than 100 cabins. It also burned up a cabin at the Sierra Club San Diego chapter’s property.

About 1,600 firefighters remained on the fire lines Thursday, cutting down charred trees, digging out smoldering stumps and dousing hot spots. The burned area was 85 percent contained, and full containment is expected on Sunday, Cal Fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser said.

“Certainly the weather is in our favor,” Bortisser said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Fourteen water tenders and eight bulldozers worked the fire Thursday. Bortisser said the area where the fire jumped Sunrise Highway was still a concern and that the Laguna, El Prado and Horse Heaven campgrounds were considered under a threat of possible flare-ups.

That threat seemed more remote under light on-and-off sprinkles through the day.

Crews were assessing any erosion issues, as the National Weather Service had predicted showers in the region.

Joan Odenthal with the Mount Laguna Improvement Association, a homeowners association, said she spent the week emailing members the latest news reports about the fire’s progress.

At the Los Huecos Road closure, barred by California Highway Patrol officers, Shrine members came and went, discussing whether their own cabins had been burned or spared.

Vic Muth, 81, of Tucson, said he believed his was destroyed. He had bought the cabin in 1990.

“We used to bring the kids up here sledding,” Muth said. “Too many memories. We’ll probably rebuild. Not everyone will rebuild. We may lose contact with the people we would see every year.”

He said he had just installed a new washer and dryer in their cabin last week, and his wife was upset over losing her collection of 11 cowboy hats and her mother’s recipes.

Civilian Navy worker Wayne Dull, 45, of San Diego, was visibly shaken over the loss of his cabin, bought in 2010 for a family retreat.

“Everybody loved it,” Dull said. “This hit everybody hard.”

An assistant manager at the Al Bahr Shrine camp, Bob Strangman, 77, said he was the last one out when Shriners evacuated midday on Monday. He said he had fed firefighters breakfast that morning, and he was critical of them for leaving when flames headed for the camp.

In response, Bortisser said, “A lot of factors determine whether to stay or go. Firefighters are trained to determine if their safety’s at risk. When you have an incident of this caliber, there are going to be a lot of people with a lot of views.”

Phil Land, 60, from Portland, Ore., came up to the mountains with his sister, Carol Land of Tierrasanta, in hopes of searching the rubble of their cabin on the Al Bahr Shrine grounds.

“We know it’s burned,” Phil Land said. “We’ve had it in the family for 45 years. Our dad is frail. He didn’t want to come up. It’s tough emotionally. You’ve got to wonder what’s next for the camp.”

Carol Land added, “It’s as sad as can be. It’s like losing an old friend.”